In an emotionally raw speech, the mother of an American Foreign Service official killed in Benghazi claimed that Hillary Clinton lied to her and argued that Donald Trump would improve national security at the Republican convention Monday.
“I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son,” said Patricia Smith, whose son Sean was killed in the attack. “How could she do this to me? How could she do this to any American family? Donald Trump is everything Hillary Clinton is not.”
Read Smith’s remarks in full below:
My son Sean was one of four brave Americans killed during the 2012 terrorist attack at Benghazi.
Sean was a wonderful son and father to my two amazing grandchildren, Samantha and Nathan, now 10 and 11.
He was proud to serve his country with the United States Foreign Service. The last time I talked to Sean, the night before the terrorist attack, he told me, “Mom, I am going to die.”
All security had been pulled from the embassy, he explained. And when he asked why, he never received a response.
Nobody listened. Nobody seemed to care.
The very next day, he was murdered by radical Islamic terrorists.
To this day, I don’t even know why a computer guy like Sean was sent to Benghazi.
That night, we lost sons, brothers, fathers, and husbands.
We lost four brave Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for the country they chose to serve.
And, the American people lost the truth.
For all of this loss, for all of this grief, for all of the cynicism the tragedy in Benghazi has wrought upon America, I blame Hillary Clinton.
I blame Hillary Clinton personally for the death of my son.
In an email to her daughter shortly after the attack, Hillary Clinton blamed it on terrorism.
But when I saw Hillary Clinton at Sean’s coffin ceremony, just days later, she looked me squarely in the eye and told me a video was responsible.
Since then, I have repeatedly asked Hillary Clinton to explain to me the real reason why my son is dead.
I’m still waiting.
Whenever I called the State Department, no one would speak to me because they say I am “not a member of the immediate family.”
Sean is my son.
Hillary Clinton is a woman, a mother and a grandmother of two. I am a woman, a mother and a grandmother of two.
How could she do this to me? How could she do this to any American family? Donald Trump is everything Hillary Clinton is not.
He is blunt, direct, and strong.
He speaks his mind, and his heart.
And, when it comes to the threat posed by radical Islamic terrorism, he will not hesitate to kill the terrorists who threaten American lives.
He will make America stronger, not weaker. This entire campaign comes down to a single question.
If Hillary Clinton … can’t give us the truth … why should we give her the presidency.
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